Multiple explosions rang out across the Qatari capital, Doha, on Thursday following the evacuation of residents near the US embassy. Gulf countries have faced a series of drone and missile attacks from Iran in response to US-Israeli airstrikes. Reporters in Doha witnessed intense blasts, with a thick column of black smoke visible in the city’s skyline. The attack on Qatar followed a phone call between the Qatari prime minister and Iran’s foreign minister, where the former accused Iran of trying to provoke conflict in the region.
In addition to the incidents in Qatar, explosions were reported in Manama, Bahrain, while Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed three cruise missiles and drones near Al-Kharj. A tanker off the coast of Kuwait was struck by a significant explosion, leading to an oil spill. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed control over the vital shipping route of the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf to the Indian Ocean.